Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. This is John^^^^^Adams.

Rev. John Adams, A.M., born about 1750, d. 1814; schoolmaster at Putney, Master of the Academy at Pulteney.

An Aberdonian clergyman who opened a successful academy near London, John Adams (d. 1814) was an active popularizer of Enlightenment scholarship. In this work of 1789, reprinted here for the first time, Adams pieced together ideas from the works of Montesquieu and several of his Scottish disciples (including Kames, Monboddo and Dunbar) on human nature society, commerce, government, and related topics, in an effort "to Promote a Spirit of Enquiry in the British Youth of both Sexes".

John Adams (1750? – 1814) was a Scottish compiler of books for young readers. He was born in Aberdeen about 1750. Having graduated at the university there, he obtained a preaching license, and coming to London was appointed minister of the Scotch church in Hatton Garden. Subsequently he opened a school or ‘academy’ at Putney, which proved very successful; the botanists Allan Cunningham and his brother Richard were pupils. He died at Putney in 1814.

Most of his numerous works passed through many editions, and were largely used in schools. Among them may be mentioned:

* The Flowers of Ancient History, 1788
* Elegant Anecdotes and Bon Mots,’ 1790
* A View of Universal History (3 vols.), 1795, which includes a brief account of almost every country in the world down to the date of publication.
* The Flowers of Modern History, 1796.
* Curious Thoughts on the History of Man, 1799.
* The Flowers of Modern Travels (4th edition), 1802.

Adams also published by subscription a volume of sermons dedicated to Lord Grantham in 1805, and he was the author of a very popular Latin schoolbook, entitled Lectiones Selectæ, which reached an eleventh edition in 1823.